GB2185680A - Chair - Google Patents

Abstract

Chair I consists of two symmetrical side frames 1 and 1' defining the underframe as well as supporting the seat C and the back A of the chair. Such seat and back are formed by cross stretchers 2a, 2c the ends of which are shaped into tenons 3 designed to fit into the corresponding mortices 4 provided opposite each other on the inside faces of said side frames. A particularly interesting application of the chair will be its marketing in kit form, since the chair can be sold in knocked-down form (two side frames and a set of cross stretchers). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Chair This invention relates two items offurniture, and more particularly to a means of making chairs, preferably outofwood-based material.

Conventionally, a chair comprises an underframe normallyconsisting of four feet and supporting, at an elevated level, a horizontal surface and a vertical rear surface, the first-named horizontal surface defining a seat permitting a person to sit down, and the second-named vertical surface defining a back against which said seated person may lean.

Over the last few years, numerous efforts were madeto developestheticallypleasing chairs, frequently respecting social evolutions as well as mirroring the spirit of those creating innovative shapes.

Likewise, research into the various ways of making chairs was performed, generally with a view towards modifying their structures in order to make them more solid and more stable, to make them more comfortable for those sitting upon them or, finally, to have them take various positions and/orfulfill several functions.

By way of examples illustrating said different chair designs we should like to cite: -the "chair on base slats" described and shown in French patent no. 1,224,752; -the "seat" described and shown in French patent no.1,309,385; - the "improved multi-purpose seat" described and shown in French patent no. 1,346,370; -the "seats made of detachable elements, and their means of assembly" described and shown in French patent no. 1,576,499; -the "seatfeaturing a cantilevered metal frame" described and shown in French patent no.2,301,203; -the "detachable seat formed more particularly by an assemblyoffolded leaves" described and shown in French patent no. 2,424,006; -the "demountable chair" described and shown in French patent no.2,489,681;; - the "item offurniture such as a convertible easy chair or a sofa" described and shown in French patent no.2,523,286.

All seats realized as specified in said patents have one major drawback insofar asthe aspect of esthetics is neglected in favor offunctionalism, particularly as regards chairs made of wood.

Therefore, based on these findings, the applicant performed research resulting in a new generation of wooden chairs designed to strike a balanced equilibrium between esthetic and functional aspects while conserving the traditional component parts of a chair- underframe, seat and back.

In this regard the wooden chair according to the invention, which comprises underframe, seat and back, is notable insofar as it consists of two symmetrical side frames defining base, seat support and back, the two last-named members being advantageously formed bytwo cross members, one horizontal, the other vertical, linking the two side frames and shaped attheirends intotenons designed to be fitted into corresponding mortices provided on the inside faces of the two side frame members, each mortice facing another one provided on the opposing inside surface of said side frames.

Beyond its attractive and original appearance, the chair according to the invention provides numerous engineering advantages, including: - a limited number of differently shaped parts reduced to two components (one side frame and one cross member), which makes said chair eminently suitableforseries production; - easy assembly of the entire chair which, since assembly is limited to a single operation fitting the cross member into the side frames (the union possibly to be consolidated by gluing), is particularly suitable for sales presentation of a wooden chair in kit form (package containing two side frames and a minimum oftwo cross members); - no accessories needed to maintain, assemble or fasten component parts to each other;; - possibility of disassembling the chairfor transport (in those cases where the assembly of frames and cross members was performed without using glue); - and so forth ...

Under a preferential embodiment of the invention, the abovementioned sideframe members each have the shape of an upright slightly deviating from the vertical and placed at its bottom end in a horizontal base slat so as to form an obtuse angle between said upright and base slat, at least one horizontal bar being parallel to said base slat. Said horizontal bar and the upright section above it have preshaped mortices whereinto the tenons will be fitted to form, on the one hand, the seat portion of said chair and, on the other hand, its back portion when the ends of said cross members are inserted into the upright sections projecting above said seat.It is easily discernible thatthe overall shape of the chair according to the invention is determined bythe profile of said side frame members the originality of which is enhanced, in this instance, by the factthat certain sections of the frame are cantilevered and realized according to the "method of joining two non-coplanar structural elements made of wood by having a tenon penetrate into a mortice" described and illustrated in French patentapplication no.

84.10005 (published application No. 2,566,480A) filed in the name of this applicant; which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Thus, another embodiment of the invention provides for two bar members located one above the other and projecting into the same half plane to be fastened to the upright of the chair. The lower of said bar members comprises the mortices whereinto the tenons of the cross members forming the seat are fitted, and the upper bar member is used as an armrestforthe person sitting on said chair. In this case, the chair according to the invention will function as an armchair.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the two cross members forming the horizontal surface ofthe seat and the vertical surface of the back each consist of a plurality of flat wooden cross stretchers each end of which is preformed into a Cthe horns of which define two tenons adjusted to fit into two openings provided within said side frames, opposite each other. By placing said cross stretchers at a certain distance from each other, it is easy to see that said cross stretchers have a synergistic effect since they form the open-worked surfaces of seat and back while simultaneously bracing the two side frames.

In asecond embodimentoftheinvention,thetwo cross members forming the horizontal surface ofthe seat and the vertical surface of the back are arranged, as to the first-named one, on the free outside ends of the horizontal bars and, as to the second-named one, of the uprights; the two cross members act to maintain extended a single piece offlexible material cut out offabric or leather and forming, simultaneously and continuously, seat and back.

This arrangement of a piece of fabric or leather makes the chair more attractive since it combines wood with another flexible material such as fabric for a low-priced chair, or leather for a high-priced one.

Moreover, this piece of material put up between the two cross members providesthechairwith a "bucket" shape.

In athird embodiment of the invention, the horizontal surface of the seat and the vertical surface ofthe back are both formed of two cross members between which two pieces offabric or leather are put up, one of them forming the seat, the other one the back. The two pieces of material provide the chair with a model-like shape.

In a fourth embodiment of the invention, the chair comprises two cross members, one of them forming the horizontal surface of the seat and the other one the vertical surface of the back, and two pieces of fabric or leather, one of them put up between the two horizontal bars to form the seat and the other one between the two upright sections above said bars to form the back. The purpose of this embodiment is likewise to create another appearance forthe chair.

Other features and other advantages ofthis invention will become more obvious as thefollowing specification is read, which specification shows, by way of example and without limitation, an embodiment in compliance with the basic tenets of this invention.

Reference is hereby made to the drawings annexed, wherein: Figure lisa partially exploded perspective view of such chair; Figure2 is a magnified representation of a detail shown in Figure 1.

As shown on the drawing of Figure 1, the chair according to the invention, bearing the overall reference I, consists only of component parts made of wood. More particularly, it comprises two symmetrical side frames 1 and 1 ' each of which features an upright 1 a, a' resting at its bottom on a base slat 1 b, 1 b', and a horizontal bar 1 c, 1 c' cantilevered from said upright at a predetermined level and within the half plane defined by the obtuse angle formed by base slat and upright The base slat 1 b, 1 b' maintains the position on the floor ofthe corresponding upright la, 1 a' fitted into it at an inclination slightly deviating from the vertical as determined by the degree of opening characterizing said angle a, which provides a more comfortable position for any person sitting upon chair.

The two side frames 1 and 1' are linked to each other by means of flat cross stretchers 2a and 2cthe two ends of which are performed to have the shape of a C the two horns of which define two tenons 3, as is to be seen in more detail on the drawing of Figure 2. The two tenons 3 on the C of said cross stretchers 2a, 2c are fitted, as shown by arrow E, into the corresponding mortices 4 provided within such side frames 1 and 1', whereinto they may be fastened by gluing. The presence of two tenons 3 at the ends of said cross stretchers 2a, 2c considerably reduces any cross stretcher play within the overall assembly.

Thus,thetwo cross stretchers 2a the ends of which are fitted into the sections of uprights 1 a, 1 a' projecting above horizontal bars 1 c, 1 c' define an open-worked surface (the cross stretchers being preferably spaced art a distance of each other) forming the back A of the chair I, and the cross stretchers 2fitted into the two horizontal bars 1 c, 1 c' define an open-worked surface forming the seat C of said chair.

As noted hereinabove, the seat and backofthe chair may alternatively be formed of leather orfabric or the like attached either to spaced apart cross stretchers orto the side frames in which case many ofthe cross stretchers shown in the drawings may be dispensed with.

The invention was described above and shown with a view towards disclosure rather than limitation. Thus, the above embodiments may be modified into numerous variants designed to improve or change the shapes, the dimensions, the materials making up the various elements constituting the chair without, however, altering in any way the original and essential characteristics of the invention taken in its widest sense and considered under its most comprehensive aspects.

As mentioned initially, a particularly interesting use of the chair according to the invention is marketing it in kit form.

Claims (14)

1. Awoodenchaircomprising an underframe supporting, atan elevated level, a horizontal surface forming the seat (C) and a vertical rear surface forming the back (A), CHARACTERIZED INTHATit consists of two symmetrical sideframes(1 and 1') defining said underframe as well as forming the support of such seat (C) and back (A) which are formed by a horizontal and a vertical cross member rigidly linking the two side frames (1 and 1'), the ends of which cross members are designed to fit into the two lateral frames preshaped to receive said ends.

2. Awooden chair according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the ends of the two cross membersformingthe horizontal surface of seat (C) andthevertical surface of back (A) are preformed intotenonsdesignedtobefitted intothe corresponding mortices provided on the inside faces of said side frames (1 and 1') opposite each other.

3. Awooden chair according to claims 1 and 2, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT each of said side frames (1 and 1') defining the underframe as well as constituting the support of seat (C) and back (A) has the overall shape of an upright (1 a, a') slightly inclined with respect to the vertical, which upright, fixed at its bottom in a horizontal base slat (1 b, 1 b'), comprises at least one horizontal bar (1 c, 1 c') cantilevered from a point located at a defined level of said upright and within the half plane defined bythe obtuse angle formed by such upright and said base slat, the horizontal bar and the upright section projecting above it being preformed to accommodate, respectively, the ends of the horizontal surface of seat (C) and of the vertical surface of back (A).

4. Awooden chair according to claims 1,2 and 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the two cross members forming the horizontal surface of seat (C) and the vertical surface of back (A) each consist of a plurality offlatwooden cross stretchers (2a, 2c) each end of which is preformed into a Cthe horns of which define twotenons3 designed to fit into two corresponding openings 4 provided opposite each other within the side frames (1 and 1') and on their insidefaces.

5. Awooden chair according to claims 1,2 and 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THATthe two cross members forming the horizontal surface of seat (C) and the vertical surface of back (A) are located at the free ends of the horizontal bars (1 c and 1 c') asto the seat, and ofthe uprights (1a and 1 a'), as to the back, and maintain extended between them a piece of flexible material forming, simultaneously and continuously, seat and back.

6. Awooden chair according to claims 1,2 and 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the horizontal surface of seat (C) andthevertical surface of back (A) are each formed by two cross members between which two pieces offlexible material are extended, one of which forms the seat (C), and other one forming the back (A).

7. Awooden chair according to claims 1,2 and 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it comprises two cross members forming the horizontal surface of seat (C) and the vertical surface of back (A), as well as two pieces of flexible material, one ofthem extending between the two horizontal bars (1 c and 1 c') to form seat (C),the other one between the two upright portions (1 a and 1 a') above said horizontal bars, to form the back (A).

8. Awooden chairaccording to claim 3, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it comprises two horizontal bars cantilevered one above the other and in the same half plane from the upright (1a, lea') of each side frame (1 and 1'), the lower bar (1c, c') being preformed to receive the ends of the cross member forming the horizontal surface of seat (C), and the upper bar serving as an arm-rest for any person seated.

9. Awooden chair according to claim 4, CHARACTERIZED IN THATthe cross stretchers (2a, 2c) are spaced with respect to each other and form the open-worked horizontal surface of seat (C) and the open-worked vertical surface of back (A).

10. Awooden chair according to claims 5,6 and 7, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the pieces of flexible material are cut from fabric and/or leather.

11. A chair comprising a pair of spaced apart side-frames, each side-frame including an upwardly extending back-supportmemberandaseatsupport member extending forwardly therefrom, wherein at least one rigid stretcher member is fitted between the seat support members and at least one rigid stretcher member is fitted betweenthebacksupport members.

12. A kit of parts for a chair as claimed in any preceding claim.

13. Aside frame for a chair, comprising an elongate member and a further elongate member extending transversely from the mid-section thereof, each of said members incorporating a projection or recess suitable for accommodating a respective stretcher member, said projections or recesses being on the same side of the common plane defined by said transverse elongate members.

14. Achair substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.